16 to 19 bursary fund: allocation of discretionary element to providers
Proposal to use pupil premium data to calculate the discretionary part of the bursary fund for providers of learning for 16- to 19-year-olds.
The government is proposing to introduce a new method for calculating the discretionary element of the bursary fund for providers of learning for 16- to 19-year-olds. The current method is based on data from 2009 to 2010 and is becoming out of date.
The proposed method is to use the number of students at an organisation who were previously eligible for the pupil premium as a measure of the level of disadvantaged pupils the organisation caters for. This figure will then be used to calculate the level of discretionary funding the organisation should receive from the bursary fund. The new method will be used from the 2014 to 2015 academic year onwards.
The government also plans to give more importance and therefore funding, to organisations with a higher proportion of disadvantaged students from rural areas. This is to reflect the higher transport costs those students have to cover.
This consultation seeks the views of providers, local authorities, representative bodies and other interested parties on this planned approach.